Rare type of matcha creates a drink with “the ultimate Japanese taste”. 

Just as Starbucks’ famous sakura drinks have disappeared from the menu in Japan — yes, before sakura season has even begun — it’s time to turn our attention to a drink we can actually enjoy under the blossoms.

Called the “Sakura to Tenku no Matcha Wa Chocolat Drink” (“Sakura and Heavenly Matcha Japanese Chocolat Drink“), this limited-edition beverage comes to us from the Japanese subsidiary of Lindt, the famous Swiss premium chocolate brand with a 175-year long history.

Lindt has been catering to local tastes with a number of Japan-exclusive drinks in recent years, but this year’s sakura beverage is particularly special, as it contains 100-percent Okumidori, a rare variety of green tea known for its vibrancy and umami flavour.

The type of Okumidori used for the drink is “Tenku no Matcha“, a brand grown in a tea plantation in the mountainous region of ​​Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture, where the high altitudes give it its “heavenly” name.

This matcha is said to pair perfectly with Lindt’s white chocolate, which is generously blended into the main body of the drink, and at the bottom you’ll find even more matcha, in the form of a rich and smooth matcha pudding.

Finished with a dark green Tenku no Matcha sauce around the rim of the cup, the drink is topped with sakura-flavoured cream, crunchy cherry blossom-shaped meringue pieces, and a bright, salted sakura flower.

With its many layers and different shades of pink and green, this drink is a total stunner that’s “luxuriously packed with Japanese deliciousness“.

There’s no other chocolate drink out there quite like it — even Godiva’s sakura drinks seem plain with their all-pink look by comparison — so we can’t wait to get a taste of it when it’s released at Lindt Chocolat Boutique & Cafe locations around Japan from 18 March.

Priced at 798 yen (US$5.41), the new drink will only be available for a limited time, while stocks last, until 17 April.

Related: Lindt Chocolat Boutique & Cafe locations
Source, images: PR Times
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